Billie Holiday Is Born | World History Project Billie Holiday Is Born Jazz singer Billie Holiday was born on April 7, 1915, in Baltimore, Maryland. She made her professional singing debut in Harlem nightclubs in 1931, and her first recordings in 1933. Although she had no formal musical training, she became one of the greatest jazz singers of all time; her recordings are now regarded as masterpieces. Holiday's autobiography, Lady Sings the Blues,1 opens with the line: "Mom and Pop were just a couple of kids when they got married; he was 18, she was 16 and I was three." Holiday's given name was Eleanora Fagan, but when she started to perform she chose the stage name Billie after Billie Dove, a star in silent, and later sound, movies. Source: Library of Congress Added by: Aimee Lucido Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz singer and songwriter.

Nicknamed Lady Day by her loyal friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday was a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing. Her vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo. Above all, she was admired for her deeply personal and intimate approach to singing. Critic John Bush wrote that she "changed the art of American pop vocals forever." She co-wrote only a few songs, but several of them have become jazz standards, notably "God Bless the Child", "Don't Explain", and "Lady Sings the Blues". She also became famous for singing jazz standards written by others, including "Easy Living" and "Strange Fruit." Source: Wikipedia Added by: Aimee Lucido “ Billie Holiday - Biography and Facts Contact Billie Holiday Billie Holiday was a legendary American jazz singer, songwriter and actress. She was born as Eleanora Fagan on April 7, 1915 to Sarah Julia Fagan and Clarence Holiday. Her parents were neither married, nor living together and Clarence left the family when Billie was just a child. Her mother moved to Baltimore after being kicked out of her parents’ home for being pregnant.

Billie went to live with her aunt and had a very difficult childhood. At the age of 9, Holiday was brought before the juvenile court for skipping school, and then sent to Catholic reform school where she was baptized. By the age of 11, she had dropped out of school. At the age of 11, she was raped by her neighbor who was discovered in the act by her mother. The neighbor was arrested and Holiday was placed at the House of the Good Shepherd under protective custody. During this time, she started listening to jazz greats such as Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith . Before the age of 14, Holiday had started working as a prostitute with her mother but the brothel where they worked was raided and both mother and daughter were sent to prison. She was released from prison in October 1929 after which she began her career as a singer. She made appearances at several clubs in Harlem such as Grey Dawn, Pod’s and Jerry’s and the Brooklyn Elks’ Club. Despite her lack of professional training, Billie soon became an active member of the local Harlem jazz scene.

She raspy, honest voice became her signature style and attracted several producers including John Hammond, who appreciated her talent and helped her to meet Benny Goodman, with whom she collaborated on several tracks such as “Your Mother’s Son-In-Law” and “Riffin’ the Scotch”. Holiday got her first record deal at the age of 18. Her first hits came in 1935 with records such as “What a Little Moonlight Can Do” and “Miss Brown to You”. In 1936, she began working with a saxophonist Lester Young with whom she developed a deep friendship. She was nicknamed “Lady Day” by him and she later joined the Count Basie Orchestra of which Young was a part. She also joined Artie Shaw and his orchestra, which made her the first female African American singer to work with a white orchestra. However, she soon left due to objections from concert promoters about her race and singing style. She also had trouble playing at clubs and cabarets, because she lost her license for possession of narcotics, for which she was also jailed.

She then started her own solo career, singing at New York’s Cafe Society where she churned out hit after hit including “God Bless the Child” and “Strange Fruit”. The latter was a powerfully worded and sung track, rejected by Columbia Records and later released by Commodore label. It spoke of the oppression of African Americans in the South and was banned by some radio stations, yet it turned out to be a huge success. In 1941, she married James Monroe but the relationship was a stormy one and did not last long. Around this time, she had another hit with “God Bless the Child”. A couple of years later, she signed with Decca Records and soon sang another hit “Lover Man”. She also appeared in movies such as the 1947 film New Orleans, in which she played a small part but got the satisfaction of working with her personal idol Louis Armstrong. Throughout the 1950s, Holiday was busy with producing new materials, touring extensively and being in public attention. She produced further hits such as “T’ain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do” and “My Man” many of which focused on her personal relationship problems.

In 1956, she published her autobiography titled “Lady Sings the Blues” which was adapted into a successful movie starring Diana Ross in 1972 after Holiday’s death. Her road to success was juxtaposed with her struggles in her personal life. She was arrested for narcotics possession multiple times, and used marijuana, opium, cocaine and alcohol by herself and with each of her partners and spouses. Her drug use spiraled out of control after her mother’s death and with each abusive relationship she suffered through. She died on July 17, 1959 from alcohol and drug related diseases. More than 3000 people came to attend her funeral including jazz greats such as Benny Goodman, Buddy Rogers and John Hammond. In 2000, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Billie Holiday | American jazz singer | Britannica.com American jazz singer Alternative Titles: Eleanora Fagan, Eleanora Gough, Eleanora Harris, Elinore Harris, Lady Day Billie Holiday Billie Holiday, birth name Elinore Harris, byname Lady Day (born April 7, 1915, Philadelphia , Pa., U.S.—died July 17, 1959, New York City , N.Y.), American jazz singer, one of the greatest from the 1930s to the ’50s. Billie Holiday, 1958. Reprinted with permission of DownBeat magazine Eleanora (her preferred spelling) Harris was the daughter of Clarence Holiday, a professional musician who for a time played guitar with the Fletcher Henderson band. She and her mother used her maternal grandfather’s surname, Fagan, for a time; then in 1920 her mother married a man surnamed Gough, and both she and Eleanora adopted his name. It is probable that in neither case did her mother have Eleanora’s name legally changed.

The singer later adopted her natural father’s last name and took the name Billie from a favourite movie actress, Billie Dove. In 1928 she moved with her mother from Baltimore , Md. (where she had spent her childhood), to New York City, and after three years of subsisting by various means, she found a job singing in a Harlem nightclub. She had had no formal musical training, but, with an instinctive sense of musical structure and with a wealth of experience gathered at the root level of jazz and blues , she developed a singing style that was deeply moving and individual. In 1933 Holiday made her first recordings, with Benny Goodman and others. Two years later a series of recordings with Teddy Wilson and members of Count Basie ’s band brought her wider recognition and launched her career as the leading jazz singer of her time. She toured with Basie and with Artie Shaw in 1937 and 1938 and in the latter year opened at the plush Café Society in New York City. About 1940 she began to perform exclusively in cabarets and in concert. Her recordings between 1936 and 1942 marked her peak years.

During that period she was often associated with saxophonist Lester Young , who gave her the nickname “Lady Day.” In 1947 Holiday was arrested for a narcotics violation and spent a year in a rehabilitation centre. No longer able to obtain a cabaret license to work in New York City, Holiday nonetheless packed New York’s Carnegie Hall 10 days after her release. She continued to perform in concert and in clubs outside of New York City, and she made several tours during her later years. Her constant struggle with heroin addiction ravaged her voice, although not her technique. Britannica Stories Billie Holiday - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up) (1915-59). Lady Day, as she was usually called, was the finest jazz singer of her generation, and in the opinion of her followers and many critics she was the greatest jazz singer of the 20th century. The autobiography (1956) of Billie Holiday, written in collaboration with William Dufty, and the movie (1972) made from it, was called Lady Sings the Blues. The title is less a reflection of her music than of her unhappy childhood and the struggle against heroin addiction later in her life.

Although Holiday received no professional training, her singing was sophisticated and her diction and phrasing were dramatically intense. Article History Billie Holiday Biography (Guitarist/Singer) Best known as: The popular jazz singer known as "Lady Day" Name at birth: Eleanora Fagan Billie Holiday was one of the first and greatest of American jazz singers, known in equal parts for her unique and laconic timing, her wistful and brassy vocals, and her troubled personal life. Holiday began singing in Harlem clubs as a teenager, and first recorded (with Benny Goodman ) in 1933. She was a sensation at New York's famous jazz club, The Apollo, and sang with the bands of Artie Shaw and Count Basie , among others. Holiday was nicknamed "Lady Day" during this era by saxophonist Lester Young , with whom she often recorded. In the 1940s she began using heroin and opium, and her last years were marked by her decline in health as a result of drink and drugs.

Her most famous songs include "God Bless the Child," "Lover Man" and "My Man." She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early influence in the year 2000. Extra credit: Holiday’s 1956 autobiography was titled Lady Sings the Blues. Diana Ross played Holiday in the 1972 film of the same name. Copyright © 1998-2017 by Who2?, LLC. All rights reserved. Eleanora Fagan "Billie Holiday", Maryland Women's Hall of Fame (1915 - 1959) In just a short lifetime, Ms. Billie Holiday overcame the challenges of a poverty-stricken childhood to become one of the nation's most famous female African American jazz musicians. During the 1930's and 40's, she famously asserted her talents to raise the social and political consciousness of black society, particularly with her melodic protests against domestic violence and lynching practices across the south. Ms. Holiday grew up in East Baltimore with a life complicated by poverty and racism. Her mother later moved their family to New York City around 1927. Ms.

Holiday lived through the Depression by working many low paying cleaning jobs and listening to early African American artists such as Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith. With her early life shaped by hard work and great music, she found Harlem an exciting and stimulating place to work and express herself. John Hammond first discovered Ms. Holiday in 1933 while she was singing in Monette's, a Harlem nightclub. In November of the same year, at just eighteen years old, she recorded her first commercial session with Benny Goodman's group at Columbia Records. Ms. Holiday remained in Harlem for a few more years before she returned to the studio in 1935 to embark on her career. After displaying her emotional and creative talent with early jazz pianist Teddy Wilson and his orchestra, Ms. Holiday was nicknamed "Lady Day" by orchestra member Lester Young. In 1938, Ms. Holiday joined Artie Shaw's Orchestra, one of America's first racially integrated bands, having an all white band and a black female lead singer; however, many venues were uncomfortable with her unique musical style and declined their performance. Ms.

Holiday resigned from the band in 1939 to join the integrated entertainers at the famous Cafe Society in New York City, where she became famous for her performance of "Strange Fruit." This well-known piece emotionally describes the brutality of public lynching in America. The performance not only marked her high point as an accomplished musician but it also advanced her as an advocate for members of her race who faced racism daily. Ms. Holiday risked her career to record "Strange Fruit" on the Commodore label, which led to her continued advocacy against racial violence and for social equality throughout her lifetime. With a flourishing career, Ms. Holiday wrote "God Bless the Child," another masterpiece that sealed her destiny in the music industry throughout the 1940's and into the 1950's. Ms. Holiday's talent helped her prosper during Jim Crowism. She enjoyed access to some of the best labels, orchestras, and song choices; she toured America and Europe. Ms. Holiday released an autobiography in 1956 and her last performance was in 1959 in New York City. The commotion of her life experience, particularly with racism, sexism, and industry, finally took a toll on her health.

Though genuine pain and frustration gave life to her music, it ultimately took her life in l959 at the young age of forty-four. Since her death, Ms. Holiday's popularity has grown, stemming from both her creative talents and advocacy for her race. Diana Ross portrayed the famous Ms. Holiday in the biographical film Lady Sings the Blues (1972). She received the Grammy's lifetime achievement award (1987). The United States Postal Service commemorated her groundbreaking African American musical career with a stamp in 1994. In 2000, The Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame inducted Ms. Holiday. The National Portrait Gallery also celebrates Ms. Holiday's accomplishments among other exemplary role models in a temporary 2007-08 "Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits" exhibition. Baltimore, Maryland eternally celebrates her life as part of its extensive African American history with a statue that is located in the Druid Hill Park area. Further, Ms. Holiday remains a present-day inspiration to the many contestants that participate in the Billie Holiday Vocal Competition held annually during Baltimore's Artscape celebration.

Biography courtesy of the Maryland Commission for Women, 2008. © Copyright Maryland State Archives, 2008 Billie Holiday Holiday, Billie (Fagan, Eleanora; Harris, Elinore; Lady Day) Born: April 7, 1915, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Died: July 17, 1959, in New York City, New York Vocations: Memoirist, Performing Artist, and Lyricist Geographic Connection to Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, Philadelphia County Keywords: African-American; Benny Goodman; Café Society; Decca Records; Jazz; Jazzline; John Hammond; Lady Day; Lady Sings the Blues; Lester Young; “The Man I Love”; “My Sweet Hunk of Trash”; New Orleans; “Strange Fruit” Abstract: Billie Holiday was a famous American jazz singer who recorded her most prized musical work between 1935 and 1942. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, spent her early childhood in Baltimore, Maryland, and lived the rest of her life in New York City, New York, where she was discovered and most often performed.

She wrote an autobiography in 1956 with the assistance of William Dufty, but her book is thought to be highly embellished and so inaccurate that it is more commonly read as a creative work than as a biography. Billie Holiday died in 1959 as a result of health problems brought on by her heavy drug use. One of her most famous musical renditions, “Strange Fruit,” embodied the many struggles Holiday suffered throughout her life as an African-American woman. Biography: Billie Holiday was born to Sadie Fagan and Clarence Holiday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1915. The facts of her life are somewhat vague, so dates, places, and other details of her life are subject to some scrutiny. The name that appears on her birth certificate is Elinore Harris, but she went by the name Eleanora Fagan until she began her music career and changed her name to Billie Halliday. Holiday’s father abandoned the family when she was young, so at the outset of her career she altered the spelling of her surname to Halliday to distance herself from her negligent father.

She later switched the spelling of her name back to Holiday and was given her famous nickname “Lady Day” by tenor sax virtuoso Lester Young. She picked up the nickname “Billie” as a child due to her admiration for her favorite movie star, Billie Dove, and the name stayed with her until her death. Holiday grew up in Baltimore—causing some to believe, inaccurately, that she was born there—and endured a difficult childhood. She was sent to a reformatory at the age of 10 for delinquent behavior and thus never received much education. As a teenager, Holiday moved to New York City in either 1928 or 1929 to reunite with her mother who had moved there several years prior in order to get a better job. At this point, Billie Holiday began singing in small jazz clubs in New York, quickly earning herself a reputation as a talented American jazz singer. Billie Holiday’s career truly took off in 1933, when writer and producer John Hammond discovered her singing at a New York club called Monette’s. Hammond immediately arranged three recording sessions with Bennie Goodman for the talented young woman and began booking engagements for her in clubs all over New York.

Holiday first appeared in the Apollo Theatre in 1934, and in 1935 Hammond brought her into the studio regularly to record her singing with bands containing some of the finest jazz musicians of that day. As her reputation grew, Billie Holiday performed with mainstream acts like Count Basie and his renowned orchestra in 1937, and Artie Shaw and his big band orchestra in 1938. In 1939, she began an engagement with Café Society, a nightclub in Greenwich Village, and it was around this time that she recorded her famous song about the lynching of African-Americans, “Strange Fruit.” By the end of the 1940s, Billie Holiday was considered a famous jazz star, being voted the best jazz vocalist in Esquire magazine reader’s poll, and appearing in the 1946 film New Orleans with Louis Armstrong and Kid Ory. Billie Holiday credited her unique singing style to her role models Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith . It is said that Holiday had vocal limitations: her range was barely more than an octave. But these limitations didn’t hold her back.

She reconstructed many popular songs by streamlining the original melodies and embellishing them with her unique improvisations and intonations. In this sense, Billie Holiday was a true jazz singer because she constantly re-created, improvised, and invented in her musical performances. (Click here to hear a radio essay about the song “Fine and Mellow,” part of National Public Radio’s series on the 100 most important musical works of the twentieth century. The file requires Real Player to run.) Unfortunately, at the height of her musical career, Billie Holiday began using hard drugs like cocaine and opium, in addition to regularly consuming alcohol and smoking cigarettes and marijuana. By the late 1940s, her drug addiction and chronic depression brought her career to an abrupt halt. In 1947, Holiday was arrested for drug charges and voluntarily accepted placement in a federal drug-rehabilitation center for a little over a year. Several days after leaving the rehabilitation center, Holiday performed before a packed house at Carnegie Hall, but her musical career changed permanently after her time in rehabilitation because her cabaret license was suspended, prohibiting her from performing in Manhattan establishments that served alcohol.

In 1954, she toured Europe and appeared at Royal Albert Hall before an audience of 6,000. By this point, her performances weakened as her physical health and vocal condition simultaneously deteriorated. Before her death in 1959, with the assistance of watchdog William Dufty, Billie Holiday wrote her autobiography, Lady Sings the Blues. Although some of the facts in the book are questioned, the work addressed all of the difficulties Holiday experienced with drug abuse and growing up in poverty, and it was later made into a motion picture in 1972. Billie Holiday died in 1959 at a hospital where she was being held under house arrest for possession of narcotics. Works: Lady Sings the Blues. (with William Dufty) New York: Doubleday, 1956. Songs “Billie’s Blues” (also known as “I Love My Man”) “Stormy Blues” “Lady Sings the Blues” Sources: “Billie Holiday.” Encyclopedia Britannica. 2004. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 1 Mar. 2004 < “Billie Holiday.” Black History Month Biographies. 2004. Gale Group Databases.

1 Mar. 2004. Chilton, John. Billie’s Blues. New York: Da Capo Press, 1975. Collier, James Lincoln. “Holiday, Billie.” Grove Music Online. 1 Mar. 2004. 31 May 2005. < from=search&section=music.13207>. For More Information: Holiday, Billie, and William Dufty. Lady Sings the Blues. New York: Doubleday, 1956. James, Burnett. Billie Holiday. New York: Hippocrene, 1984. Nicholson, Stuart. Billie Holiday. Boston: Northeastern UP, 1995. This biography was prepared by Natalie Miliziano, Spring 2004. A Biography and Art of Billie Holiday, a Jazz Singer from United States | Kibin A Biography and Art of Billie Holiday, a Jazz Singer from United States Sign Up & Access Essays Already a member? Login here Pages: 1 This preview is partially blurred. Sign up to view the full document. Sign Up & Access Essays Already a member?

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Sign up to view the full document End of preview Upgrade to view the full document Billie HolidayBillie Holiday was a famous jazz singer in the 1930 s and 1940 s She was born in Baltimore Maryland in 1915 with the name of Eleanora Fagan She became successful as by singing in various bands before embarking on a solo career Billie Holiday was one of the first successful African American females Her unique style is what made her greatJazz is the most significant form of musical expression in the African American culture It s success in the 20 s and 30 s are reflective of the time At first everyone did not accept jazz It suggested loose morals and a low social status However soon white orchestras began performing it Eventually racially mixed groups started performing at Carnegie Hall that were lead by Benny Goodman Billie Holiday performed with various bands in her early career She worked with Benny Goodman Teddy Wilson Count Basie and Artie Shaw Later in 1940 she branched off to a solo career Billie made appearances in a variety of theatres and nightclubs Holiday was known for her highly personal approach to sound and the rough but emotional quality of her voice Her nickname was Lady Day Billie s financial success was shadow

ed by her disastrous personal life She had a severe drug addiction that lead to her death in 1959 at the age of 44 Billie Holiday was one of the most influential jazz artists of her time She led the way not only for African Americans but also for women Her talent will always be appreciated and people will continue to listen to her musicSource The Columbia Encyclopedia @Kibin is a lifesaver for my essay right now!!

- Sandra Slivka, student @ UC Berkeley Wow, this is the best essay help I've ever received! - Camvu Pham, student @ U of M If I'd known about @Kibin in college, I would have gotten much more sleep - Jen Soust, alumni @ UCLA Eleanora Fagan, Billie Holiday, MSA SC 3520-14917 Eleanora Fagan, "Billie Holiday" (1915-1959) MSA SC 3520-14917 Biography: Billie Holiday was a woman who lived life with vigor, creativity, audacity and passion. She painted masterpieces with her voiceï¿½a voice so colorful and expressive that, many times, it brought people to tears. To this day her art it lives on in her invaluable recordings and is rich with palpable, dramatic, lived experience.

1 She was an honest singer, known for putting her very essence into any song she even said once, ï¿½ï¿½Anything I sing, itï¿½s a part of my life.ï¿½ 2 She emoted so much into, not only her legendary music, but into every aspect of her life. Born in the slums of early 20th century Baltimore, she found beauty beyond her unvarying poverty in the form of jazz which spoke to her soul at a young age. It inspired in her a passion that allowed her creativity to blossom and fostered her rise from a mischievous street kid to one of the greatest jazz singers who ever lived. Not without flaws, Ms. Holiday is an inspiration to young women who have vices, but still believe in pursuing their dream. Born Eleanora Fagan on April 7, 1915 to two very young parents, Ms. Holiday encountered struggle her entire life . 3 Her mother, Sadie Fagan, was only teenager when she was expelled from her family home after they learned she was pregnant.

4 Her father, Clarence Holiday, was a jazz guitarist in Fletcher Hendersonï¿½s band, a very popular Black band of his day, who shirked the responsibilities of fatherhood in favor of traveling with his band and being a visitor. 5 She spent her first 12 years in Baltimore living in various places with her mother in extreme poverty. 6 To say she had a hard youth would be an understatement. Young Eleanora suffered from a lack of guidance from her constantly working mother and intense feelings of abandonment from her father who showed temporary love to her only when he was in town. 7 To cope with these feelings, she found refuge in the music of the day. Her favorite artist was Bessie Smith, a great blues singer in her right, and as a kid Eleanora would try to mimic her singing style. A family friend, William Hill, recalls that she would sing, ï¿½Whatever songs were around that time. She had a nice voice. Maybe sheï¿½d be upstairs cleaning or in the bathroomï¿½. 8 Living in the slums of Baltimore did not diminish her creativity, but rather added to her experience, which allowed her to become known as one of the great poignant singers of her time.

In 1928 her mother moved the two of them to Harlem in New York City and although she had never had any formal training, by the time she left Baltimore she had already received an important part of her self-taught musical education through the mimicking the voices on the radio and infusing her own passion into a piece. 9 In Harlem, Eleanora Fagan was exposed to a life of jazz in a much more magnified way than in Baltimore. At first, the flashing lights of fame and stardom sidetracked the teenager and she fell into some bad habits, but with a new goal in mind, of becoming a singer, she refocused herself. 10 In NYC she reunited with her father, Clarence Holiday, who lived in New York and was a big man around the nightlife scene she was eager to bust into. He would shuttle the teenager around to different venues to let her see performances and introduce her to his musician friends. 11 Hanging out around the jazz scene of Harlem encouraged her to try for her dreams and she got a number of gigs before landing her first regular spot singing blues at the popular Pod and Jerryï¿½s Log Cabin. 12 She was only 15 at the time.

Thus, from seemingly nowhere, a new star was born out of Eleanora Fagan who had long since changed her name to Billie Holiday ï¿½ Billie in honor of her favorite actress and Baltimorean Billie Dove and Holiday due to her infatuation with her erratic father and the recognition the name could earn her in Harlemï¿½s nightlife. 13 Her jobs began multiplying in Harlemï¿½s jazz and blues scene and, despite formal training, the young girl managed to snag coveted spots that older, better trained artists desired. By sheer passion and will Billie Holiday threw herself out on stages around the city, taking chances and dreaming big of becoming as beloved as her idol Ms. Bessie Smith. This paid off well when she got her big break one night in 1933 when a young Yale dropout and millionaire, John Hammond entered Monetteï¿½s in Harlem looking to start-up a new act and heard Billie Holiday singing ï¿½Wouldï¿½ja for a Big Red Appleï¿½.

14 According to a friend of his there was something very striking about her, something besides her voice that set her apart from others, ï¿½She was a tall, self-assured girl with rich golden-brown skin, exquisitely shown offï¿½ and according to others she had something of her idol, Bessie Smithï¿½s ï¿½downright bodaciousnessï¿½. 15 An exquisite voice, self-assured demeanor, and striking appearance all helped Ms. Holiday get noticed, but in the end it was her palpable passion for sharing her voice that led to John Hammondï¿½s signing a contract with her. Under Hammondï¿½s guidance, the 18 year old Billie Holiday recorded her first studio record, ï¿½Your Motherï¿½s Son-In-Lawï¿½, with Benny Goodmanï¿½s group later on that same year. In order to fully understand Ms. Holiday, her very unique voice needs to be highlightedï¿½a voice that embodies the creative manipulation of human sound and untrained audacity in its eccentricity. The 30s and 40s are considered the peak years of her singing career.

Young and full of vigor, not jaded yet by fame and fortune, Billie Holiday put her all into the simplest of songs through her magnificently quirky voice. According to record producer, Milt Gabler, ï¿½ ï¿½She got inside of a songï¿½ï¿½. 16 Indeed he was not the only one who thought this, her voice alone was so strangely unique that it is often compared to a horn. 17 She was known to listen closely to the horn players and try to make her voice as instrumental as possible, once saying, ï¿½I donï¿½t think Iï¿½m singing. I feel like I am playing a horn.ï¿½ 18 Many acknowledge that she sounded like a female version Louis Armstrong, who was one of her inspirations and collaborators. 19 Not only was her timbre unique, but her sense of rhythm was unmatched by any; it allowed her to be one of the only singers around at her time who could sing a popular staple and make it sound like something that was written specifically for her.

By being creative and taking liberties with different aspects of music, the untrained songstress has one of the most copied styles of rhythmic phrasing of music history. For an untrained singer, many of the musicians she worked with attested to her unfailing rhythmic sense, how she could slow down her words, or make them bitingly staccato pouring her own emotion into them. 20 She brought to each performance her own interpretation, based on her cultural heritage, background and experiences and her unique personality. 21 At the height of her popularity a New York Times critic stated, ï¿½Miss Holiday hadï¿½a rich and flexible voice that gave the pieces recordedï¿½an emotional intensity that are paralleled in jazz only in the very best of Bessie Smithï¿½s workï¿½. 22 This was a praise which was, likely, of the highest degree to Ms. Holiday who mentioned her adoration of Smith at every turn. Her nerve in staying true to her unique style and ignore the initial complaints of critics have cemented her as a musical genius despite lack of proper training.

The gifted, young woman with the painfully expressive voice was introduced to the world at large in the 30s under the guidance of John Hammond. Due to the systematic racism of the day she did not have an easy break, but she always made the best of a bad situation. Her recorded singles and popularity on the New York night scene grew gradually and she was already fairly well known before she was out of her teens. This was a feat considering she got second-rate material since white artists were given priority. Yet, she made the simple songs she sung the best possible versions she could possible make and they succeeded in making her fame grow, not just within the confines of New York City, but the rest of the country as well. 23 Another issue was that many clubs and bars around town would not let her even occupy a table or chair in the vicinity because she was Black. For instance, in 1935 once, when she was singing at the Famous Door, she was forced to sit outside of the restroom area in between songsï¿½she wasnï¿½t allowed near the bar or any club tablesï¿½a humiliating experience for any person. 24 Despite blatant racism, Ms. Holiday continued to perform and succeed.

In 1936 she recorded with Count Basieï¿½s Orchestra, where she met her best friend, jazz saxophonist, Lester Young. Together with the legendary Basie, she recorded some of her greatest hits. This was her first instance of working with a big band and she couldnï¿½t have chosen a better band at the time than his. They toured together from 1937-1938 and had a number of memorable hits together. 25 Keeping busy, in 1938 the songstress joined Artie Shawï¿½s band marking a historical milestone; this was the first time that an African American female vocalist had ever performed with a white band. 26 Everyone did not appreciate this integration, though. In the South, especially, she encountered intense hatred in the form of racial epithets and threats of violence, yet Artie Shaw and other friends famous such as Bob Hope and Clark Gable stood up for her every chance they could. 27 However, the stress of traveling, fighting for venues and relentless discrimination caused her to quit Artie Shawï¿½s band in 1939 after only a year of touring.

28 Inner turmoil plagued Billie Holiday during the next period of her life, but she was never before more popular and her singing was never better. By 1939 she was getting the kind of acclaim after only six years, which many only receive in twenty years into the business. She was friends with some of the biggest names of the day: Frank Sinatra, Harry Belafonte and Tallulah Bankhead just to name a few and was the toast of the New York jazz scene, having earned the nicknames ï¿½Ladyï¿½ and ï¿½Lady Dayï¿½ by best buddy, Lester Young. 29 However, the taunts and images of injustice, violence and bigotry she encountered while touring the South, led her to courageously to create her signature masterpiece, ï¿½Strange Fruitï¿½ from a poem written by a New York schoolteacher, Lewis Allen. 30 ï¿½Strange Fruitï¿½ was a song about the Southern lynching of Blacks and was revelatory in nature to the whites of New York.

She premiered the song at the upscale Café Society in 1939 and oftentimes she would be in tears and stay in an emotional state for some time afterward because of the remembrances the song brings up. 31 In 1942 she sang ï¿½God Bless the Childï¿½, a song she wrote on her own which speaks of her poverty-stricken youth and independent nature, it became her first self-written hit. 32 The rest of the 40s were marked with hits and misses, ups and downs for the still vibrant young singer. She remained in New York, singing and getting booked frequently, but her motherï¿½s death and turbulent personal relationships caused her to slip back deeper into the troubles of her youth. The 1950s continued in this way. In New York, she was greatly limited in performance establishments. Yet, in 1954 she went on a highly successful tour of Europe where she was amazingly popular there. 33 In 1956 she was back in New York and had a number of sold out concerts at Carnegie Hall. Sadly the Carnegie Hall performances were her last few with the final being in the first months of 1959.

34 The stresses of life finally took their toll on her and she died in New Yorkï¿½s Metropolitan Hospital on July 17, 1959 at the young age of 44. 35 Her funeral over-crowed the streets of New York with over 2500 people showing up and some 500+ who waited outside just to get a glimpse of her casket. 36 In death, her courageous life seems amazing given the large number of setbacks she faced from childhood to womanhood. Lady Day was a woman who lived life passionately and vibrantly. She did not allow less than ideal beginnings to discourage her and opened the door for so many young girls who believe they can not escape their humble beginnings. Her creativity and uniqueness live on in the music which, though at first regarded skeptically, is now considered American standards for up and coming jazz artists. Her wit and courage, although not learned in a school, speak of a wise soul, unhampered by the arrogance of academia. Accumulating experiences and reflecting those things sometimes tragically sad or sometimes inspiringly uplifting made Ladyï¿½s music so accessible to everyone; her experiences resonate universally within the lives of people who dream big. Ms.

Holiday was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2011. Footnotes 1. Oï¿½Meally, Robert. Lady Day: The Many Faces of Billie Holiday. New York: Arcade Publishing, 1991. p. 11. Return to text 2. Ibid. Return to text 3. Mattingly, Carolyn. 2008 Maryland Womenï¿½s Hall of Fame Nomination Form. Maryland Commission for Women. Return to text 4.Oï¿½Meally, Robert. Lady Day: The Many Faces of Billie Holiday. New York: Arcade Publishing, 1991. p. 64. Return to text 5. ï¿½Billie Holidayï¿½ . American Masters. Public Broadcasting Company. 12 August 2008. < Return to text 8. Ibid, 67. Return to text 9. Kaufman, Bruce. ï¿½Billie Holiday lived a hard lifeï¿½ Tribune-Star. 15 July 2008. Return to text 10. Oï¿½Meally, Robert.

Lady Day: The Many Faces of Billie Holiday. New York: Arcade Publishing, 1991. p.72. Return to text 11. Ibid, 103. Return to text 12. ï¿½Billie Holidayï¿½ . American Masters. Public Broadcasting Company. 12 August 2008. < Return to text 13. Ibid, 73. Return to text 14. Oï¿½Meally, Robert. Lady Day: The Many Faces of Billie Holiday. New York: Arcade Publishing, 1991. p. 55. Return to text 16. Ibid, 43. Return to text 17. Whalen, D.L. PhD Thesis, ï¿½A Sociological and Ethnomusicological Study of Billie Holiday and her Musicï¿½. University of Pittsburgh, December 1999. p. 251. Return to text 18. Ibid, 240. Return to text 19. Oï¿½Meally, Robert. Lady Day: The Many Faces of Billie Holiday.

New York: Arcade Publishing, 1991. p. 42. Return to text 21. Ibid, 239. Return to text 22. Wilson, John S. ï¿½Billie Holidayï¿½Jazz Singer, Pure and Simpleï¿½ New York Times. 6 July 1958. Return to text 23. Mattingly, Carolyn. 2008 Maryland Womenï¿½s Hall of Fame Nomination Form. Maryland Commission for Women. Return to text 24. Whalen, D.L. PhD Thesis, ï¿½A Sociological and Ethnomusicological Study of Billie Holiday and her Musicï¿½. University of Pittsburgh, December 1999. p. 243. Return to text 25. Mattingly, Carolyn. 2008 Maryland Womenï¿½s Hall of Fame Nomination Form. Maryland Commission for Women. Return to text 28. Ibid. Return to text 29. AP. ï¿½Charity Ward Death Ends Trials of Billie Holiday, Blues Singerï¿½ July 17, 1959.

The Washington Post and Times Herald. Return to text 30. ï¿½Billie Holidayï¿½ . American Masters. Public Broadcasting Company. 12 August 2008. < Return to text 31. Oï¿½Meally, Robert. Lady Day: The Many Faces of Billie Holiday. New York: Arcade Publishing, 1991. p. 139. Return to text 32. Mattingly, Carolyn. 2008 Maryland Womenï¿½s Hall of Fame Nomination Form. Maryland Commission for Women. Return to text 33. Kaufman, Bruce. ï¿½Billie Holiday lived a hard lifeï¿½ Tribune-Star. 15 July 2008. Return to text 34. Ibid. Return to text 35. AP. ï¿½Charity Ward Death Ends Trials of Billie Holiday, Blues Singerï¿½ July 17, 1959. The Washington Post and Times Herald. Return to text 36. AP. ï¿½2500 Attend Rites for Billie Holidayï¿½ July 21 1959.

The Washington Post and Times Herald. Return to text Billie Holiday Essay Examples | Kibin Billie Holiday Essay Examples A Biography of Billie Holiday, an American Singer Billie Holiday Billie Holiday was born April 7th, 1915, in Baltimore. Her original name was Eleanora Fagan. Although her father, Clarence Holiday, was a guitar/banjo player in Fletcher Henderson s band, she didn t break into the music world until her late teens. After being signed by Columbia Records John Hammond in 1933 f... 614 words Personal Opinion on Holiday Celebration Turn Back the Hands of Time There are several different holidays throughout the year, which are celebrated in a variety of ways. The holiday represents different things to different people cause of religion, culture, or family traditions. Although some people may not be able to be around family the remembrance does not... 406 words A Biography of Billie Holiday, an American Jazz Musician and Singer-Songwriter Billie Holiday was born on April 7th, 1915 the daughter of a Clarence Holiday. He was also a musically talented, and played the guitar/banjo.

She work at an early age in run down factories, and where ever she could get a job. Billie was discovered in a factory by Columbia Records scout John Hammond and signed in 1933. She w... 305 words A Biography of Billie Holiday Billie Holliday was born in Baltimore in 1915. Her father left the home before she was born. When she was ten years old she was raped and sent to a foster home where she lived for three years. At the age of 13 she moved back home and started working at a brothel. It was while working at the brothel she first heard recording... 563 words An Overview of the Influence of the Great Depression on the Life of Billie Holiday The Great Depression caused it to be hard to get a job or become successful because they limited the amount of workers and the amount each person or business could have but one person proved it that it was possible to become successful. Billie Holiday was a young girl with no future but she grew up to be so much more. In he... 909 words Billie Holiday Hi, I am Eleanor Fagan Gough, or most of you know me as Lady Day or Billie Holiday.

I am known, as one of America's most memorable and influential singers of all time. I was born in Baltimore, in a run down apartment, in 1915. My mother had a very unsteady, low paying job, and my father ran out on us whe... 547 words An Introduction to the Life of Billie Holiday a Legendary Jazz Singer Billie Holiday's Path to become a Legendary Jazz Singer Billie Holiday's Path to become a Legendary Jazz Singer Billie Holiday was one of the most famous jazz singers of the 20th century. Billie Holiday’s innovative phrasing about her life experiences in her music makes her one of the most influential jazz lyrici... 1,718 words A Biography and Art of Billie Holiday, a Jazz Singer from United States Billie Holiday Billie Holiday was a famous jazz singer in the 1930 s and 1940 s. She was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1915 with the name of Eleanora Fagan. She became successful as by singing in various bands before embarking on a solo career. Billie Holiday was one of the first successful African American females. Her u...

263 words The Life and Influences of Billie Holiday in the World of Jazz Billie Holiday, probably the singularly most popular jazz vocalist of all time, was plagued by tragedy her entire life. Her grandfather was one of 17 children of a black Virginia slave impregnated by the white Irish plantation owner. When born in Baltimore, MD, Billie's parents were only teenagers; her mother (Sally Fagan)... 1,082 words How the Style of Jazz Music Has Changed My Life Billie Holiday Hi, I am Eleanor Fagan Gough, or most of you know me as Lady Day or Billie Holiday. I am known, as one of America's most memorable and influential singers of all time. I was born in Baltimore, in a run down apartment, in 1915. My mother had a very unsteady, low paying job, and my father ran out on us... 547 words

Question: Which famous American jazz singer was born Eleanora Fagan in Baltimore in 1915?
Answer: BILLIE HOLIDAY